After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University’s Department of Design with a major in interior architecture, Japanese designer Yuma Kano opened his experimental studio in 2012.
Implementing his creative approach to creation and material manipulation, Yuma Kano has produced items varying from chopsticks to chairs. But there are two creations in particular that are perfect for the tile-addicted mind – Rust Harvest and ForestBank.
Rust Harvest
Refocusing attitudes about rust away from the lens of wear and damage and instead to one of beauty and wonder, Rust Harvest offers a fresh look at an age-old nuisance. Studio Yumakano developed a technique with acrylic resin that enables the transfer of rust from metal sheets that have been exposed to rain, light, earth, and seawater.
Depending on the metal sheets used, colours achieved range from red to brown to blue. This coloured resin can then be used to create a huge variety of products such as tables, chairs, walls, and windows.
Once rust has been harvested from the metal sheets, the exposure process continues, creating more rust for future use.
ForestBank
Similar to a material we’ve share before (Foresso), ForestBank is a terrazzo style surface that incorporated flecks and fragments of wood. Small pieces of foliage, bark, seeds, and soil, unusable for conventional construction, are collected and mixed with a reactive mineral base and water-based acrylic resin to create a material that can be cut and worked into shape, creating furniture and panels for use throughout interiors.
Each batch acts as a time capsule for the forest and varies depending on the season, land, and other environmental factors at play during harvest. Variation from material shape as well as natural dyes found in the earth and plants add unusual colouring whilst the unique look at grain and pattern creation add further variety depending on the placement and depth of cuts.
Wood from local pruning, and woodworking is also use in the creation of ForestBank, making use of waste and adding a further layer of customisation to the material.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, October 2023.